US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic opponent Kamala Harris will debate on September 10 on ABC, setting up the first face-to-face matchup between the rivals in what polls show is an extremely close race.
In a rambling news conference at his Palm Beach, Florida, residence, Trump said he wanted additional debates on September 4 and 25 that would air on Fox and NBC.
Harris said in a post on X that she was looking forward to the September 10 debate after Trump “finally committed.” She told reporters after a campaign stop in Detroit that she was open to discussing more debates.
Trump had previously suggested he might back out of the ABC debate, which was scheduled before Harris, the US vice president, replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate less than three weeks ago, upending the contest.
An Ipsos poll published on Thursday found Harris had widened her lead over Trump since late July. She leads Trump 42% to 37%, compared to a July 22-23 Reuters/Ipsos survey, which showed her up 37% to 34% over Trump.
The news conference was Trump’s first public appearance since Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday.
Trump insisted on Thursday he has not altered his approach to the race, arguing that Harris shares responsibility for Biden’s record.
In a question-and-answer session with reporters that stretched beyond an hour, Trump hopped from topic to topic, claiming Harris and Walz were weak candidates who were already dropping in the polls.
Nevertheless, Trump lamented that he isn’t able to face Biden in the Nov. 5 election, suggesting the president was a victim of an unconstitutional plot to dislodge him from atop the Democratic ticket.
Asked about his controversial comments last week that Harris, who is of Black and Indian decent, recently “happened to turn Black,” Trump said: “You’ll have to ask her that question, because she’s the one that said it, I didn’t say it…. To me it doesn’t matter. But to her, from her standpoint, I think it’s very disrespectful to both, really, whether it’s Indian or Black, I think it’s very disrespectful to both.”
Trump’s initial comments, delivered to an audience of Black journalists, drew widespread condemnation and left donors and aides baffled and alarmed.
Trump on Thursday also mocked the size of Harris’ campaign crowds, even though they have matched his of late. He falsely claimed the size of the crowd he addressed on Jan. 6, 2021 – the day his supporters stormed the US. Capitol – was as large as those who packed the National Mall in Washington for Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
“We had more people,” Trump said. “But I’m ok with it, because I liked Dr. Martin Luther King.”
Echoing a recent attack line from his campaign, Trump criticized Harris for not doing a press interview since launching her campaign.
